After a few interesting days in Charleston it was time to hit the road. After picking up the rental car we headed slightly south towards the coast, a place called Folly Beach, which was inaccessible the day before due to the hurricane.

We gathered a few shells and took a few snaps before heading towards our first inland stop, Chatanooga. It was about a 7 hour drive with a stop for lunch and a quick coffee stop. As we got in late we headed straight to the hotel – the famous, Chattanooga Choo Choo – totally kitsch but part of the fun, why would a visitor stay anywhere else 🙂

With the city cleaning up from the effects of Hurricane Joaquín, lots of places were closed but we were pleasantly surprised that there was still lots of choice for places to eat. After exploring the city on foot all day, we pushed the boat out and celebrated our arrival in Charleston with a steak dinner at Halls Chophouse. It was packed on a Sunday evening so that’s got to be a good sign. The lady at reception in our hotel had recommended that we try the creamed spinach and she was right, it was worth going there just for that. Rolling out after that meal, it was a good reminder that American portion sizes are huge. Lighter meals and less side orders from now on!

C

So where were our two intrepid travellers – in a small plane, in the middle of the storm with a pilot “hoping” to land in Charleston…..

Which thankfully he did and received a well deserved round of applause.

There was a chance we would have to had landed in Atlanta or Charlotte, so it was a relief when we touched down. However most of Charleston was flooded and a lot of the city is shut down and loads of roads are like rivers and inaccessible.

So as of right now, the only part of Charleston we’re going to see, is the hotel lobby 🙂

The title says it all really, trip off to a pretty good start 🙂

J

Two weeks to go before we head off on our U.S. road trip. This blog is to keep friends and family (who might be interested) up to date on our drive, food, cocktails and adventures.